Mendes: It's tough for sports legends to go out on top

Moments after the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins left the ice surface on Friday night, the in-house music director made an interesting choice at the Consol Energy Center.

The U2 song ‘A Beautiful Day’ blared over the speakers as the fans headed toward the exits in the building. On one hand, it appeared to be the perfect sendoff track for Daniel Alfredsson. A lifelong fan of the band, ‘A Beautiful Day’ just happens to be the goal song that is played each time Alfredsson scores on home ice.

The scoreboard told a different story. The Senators lost their last game of the season 6-2, two nights after getting blown out 7-3 on home ice. To many Ottawa fans, that was not the proper way to bid adieu to their captain — if indeed that was the final game in his accomplished career.

There has always been a narrative that athletes should end their careers at the top of their sport. When we picture the ideal retirement scenario, we remember players like Raymond Bourque and John Elway enjoying a Rocky Mountain highs, delivering championships to Denver in their final games.

Or we think back to the dream season for Lanny McDonald with the Calgary Flames in 1988-89. During the final month of the regular season, McDonald reached the 500-goal and 1,000-point milestones. And then, in the clinching game of the Stanley Cup Final at the Montreal Forum, he stepped out of the penalty box and scored a goal that gave the Flames a lead they would not relinquish. That night, he hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career and then rode off into the sunset.

But in reality, players like Elway, Bourque and McDonald are the exception. In most cases, legends are forced to walk away from the sport that they love with the bitter taste of a defeat in their mouths.

Take Dan Marino, who chased a Super Bowl ring throughout his entire 17-year career with the Miami Dolphins. On Jan. 16, 2000, in his final game in the NFL, Marino’s Dolphins were trounced 62-7 by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the playoffs. It was the most lopsided playoff result in AFC history and Marino’s team was trailing 38-0 before he even completed his first pass that afternoon.

Marino stayed in Miami during this entire career, but players who leave to win a championship elsewhere often come up short. Karl Malone joined a powerhouse Los Angeles Lakers team in 2003-04, hoping to finally add a ring to a distinguished career that was spent mostly with the Utah Jazz. But Malone sprained his knee and was mostly ineffective as the Lakers lost to the Pistons in five games. In his final NBA game, Malone scored just two points against Detroit and hobbled off into retirement.

Even athletes who were able to win championships earlier in their career can find it difficult to leave on the proper note. Patrick Roy’s final game in the NHL happened to be a Game 7 overtime loss to the Minnesota Wild in the opening round of the 2003 playoffs. Both Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux said goodbye after meaningless regular season games — not even allowed the opportunity to flash their playoff brilliance one more time.

And then there’s Michael Jordan, who seemed to have scripted the perfect exit from the NBA in 1998. His final shot in the dying seconds against the Jazz gave the Bulls their sixth championship in the span of eight years. But Jordan was not content for that to be his final image and he came back for two regrettable seasons with the Washington Wizards. In the sequel to his final game in the NBA, Jordan scored only 15 points as his club lost by 20 to Philadelphia.

But nobody remembers Jordan’s final NBA game against the 76ers, because we prefer to think about that game-winning shot against the Jazz. When you think of Patrick Roy, the memory of him winning 10 playoff games in overtime in 1993 comes to mind — not the one loss in his final game 10 years later. Dan Marino will always be remembered for the passing records he set and not for the blowout loss in Jacksonville.

And that’s why Alfredsson shouldn’t worry about his legacy being attached to a blowout loss on Friday night in Pittsburgh if he decides to hang up the blades. In time, nobody will remember that his team was outscored 13-5 in his final two games.

When Sens fans look back at his career, they will vividly remember the afternoon he scored the overtime goal to put his team in the Stanley Cup final for the first time in 2007. They’ll recall his controversial hit on Darcy Tucker and subsequent goal in the 2002 playoffs. And they’ll have the fresh memory of his last-minute, tying goal in Game 3 of the Pittsburgh series — possibly his final signature moment on home ice.

The legendary athletes always have enough great moments over the span of a career that will erase a single bad one at the end.

Ian Mendes covers a variety of topics — including Ottawa Senators hockey — for Rogers Sportsnet. He’s co-author of the book The Best Seat in the House with Jamie McLennan. Reach him at Twitter.com/ian_mendes

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